The cast of Hamlet
The people who make Hamlet move — what they want, who they love, who they hate, and how each one fits the story. Tap any name to read more.
uncle: King of Norways
Son; Former husband; Brother (murderer)s
father: King Hamlet (deceased); mother: Queen Gertrude; uncle (now stepfather): King Claudius
Brother to the late King Hamlet; uncle and stepfather to Prince Hamlet; husband to Queen Gertrudes
Son of Polonius; brother to Ophelias
father: Polonius; brother: Laertes
{"relation":"father","to":"ophelia"}; {"relation":"father","to":"laertes"}s
son; husband (second); husband (first, deceased)s
Servant to Polonius
Other characters
Horatio
Hamlet's loyal friend and the play's witness to truth
Rosencrantz
Childhood friend of Hamlet, court spy, and unwitting pawn in Claudius's schemes
First Clown
Comic gravedigger, philosopher of mortality
Marcellus
Sentinel on the battlements; witness to the ghost's appearance
Guildenstern
Childhood friend of Hamlet, unwitting spy for the King
Osric
Affected courtier and royal messenger; a fop who serves the King's purposes
Barnardo
Sentinel on the battlements; first witness to the ghost
Second Clown
Comic gravedigger's assistant; voice of ordinary wit
Francisco
Sentinel on the battlements of Elsinore
Captain
Norwegian military officer bearing Fortinbras's message
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Childhood friends of Hamlet, turned spies for the King